Weekday meals can be a challenge sometimes when you cook daily and want variety without the recipes getting too complicated. Simple home cooked meals too can get boring, so how to find the balance? I tend to have the week punctuated by simple dishes and then every few days try out something new, something completely different. Today was a day for a simple easy recipe not too time consuming. Having said that, this Tamarind Vegetable Roast is still fancy enough as its got tamarind in it.
This dish always reminds me of weekday meals at my parents place in Mumbai. We’d have simple vegetarian meals every day. Rotis, one vegetable curry or dry bhaji, dal or some lentil curry, rice and yogurt. Come to think of it, I had a bowl of yogurt with sugar everyday for every meal no matter what season it was. I remember always being super excited when I’d find out this dish was on the days menu. To me this dish is the perfect combination of spice, sourness, sweet and savoury flavours.
Mum always made this roast using potatoes, brinjals (the smaller variety but you can use the large aubergines too), and green peppers (we call them capsicum in India for some reason). You can make this dry roast using any vegetable combination. Using sambar masala along with whole black peppercorns completely elevates this dish. No other spice mix can give that same taste. And then BAM, the sourness from tamarind. A little bit of jaggery or brown sugar then balances the sourness. What sorcery of flavours! Serve this veggie roast alongside hot rotis or with some rice and dal. Or have this as a side with dosas. Try this tamarind vegetable roast and I’m sure it will end up being one of your go-to weekday meals.
| Prep Time | 5 mins |
| Cook Time | 20 mins |
| Servings |
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- 2 medium potatoes chopped into wedges
- 4-5 small aubergine or brinjals sliced into halves
- 1 medium green pepper chopped into wedges
- 2 tbsp Oil Use a neutral oil like sunflower oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- Pinch Asafoetida
- 6-7 whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1.5 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp Sambar powder If you don’t have Sambar powder, use Garam masala powder
- 2-3 tbsp tamarind paste Steep tamarind in hot water for 15 mins, squeeze firmly to make a paste. Discard the tamarind pods and use the steeped tamarind paste.
- Salt to taste
Ingredients
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- Heat oil in a wide pan or wok. Once the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds and roast until then splutter.
- Next go in the whole black peppercorns, asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and the sambar masala powder. Roast the spices in the oil until aromatic.
- In go the sliced vegetables. Season as per taste and bring everything together so that the spice mix coats the vegetables.
- Next add in the tamarind water, stir again and cover with a lid.
- Stir every 5 mins, after 10 mins of cooking, add in the jaggery or brown sugar and mix well.
- Put the lid back and cook for another 5 mins.
- Take off heat. Serve alongside hot rotis.
